While being able to bootstrap is one of the major draws of an online content business, major money comes from the ability to scale and one of the best ways to do that is to hire an A+ operator to manage your website. 

Good website operators not only bring a new set of eyes and professional skills to keep your website growing, but it also frees up your attention to move on to the next project to increase the number of profitable websites you own.

This article will be your beginner’s guide to finding an outstanding operator to take on website responsibilities so you can expand your content business!

What Is a Website Operator?

A website operator is an individual who has a diverse set of high-level skills to not only maintain but even improve the performance of a website.

Common duties of a website operator include:

• On-page & Off-page SEO
• Technical SEO
• Diversifying revenue sources and affiliate rates
• Conversion rate optimization (CRO)
• Content planning, formatting, and publishing
• Content editing and revision
• Managing writer outsourcing and maintenance content
• Basic hosting and server maintenance as needed

Having all these skills means a good website operator knows how to not only maintain your website but continue to grow and improve both the site and the earnings.

What to Look for in a Website Operator

Choosing the right person is crucial, and there are a few major things to look for. Don’t hire a website operator who can’t provide the following!

Case Studies

Every successful website operator should have case studies that show previous successes. These might be from previous clients or their own acquisitions, but it should show traffic numbers, monetization numbers, and have the screenshots to prove it.

A successful website operator should have no problem providing public case studies from successful projects to show a track record of success.

References

References from happy clients shouldn’t be hard to get for a true A+ operator. These references should be coming directly from clients, and they should be able to provide those from both past and current clients they’re doing work for.

Proof of Previous Successes

I want to see an operator that not only has had happy clients, but can show me they have had their own successes with growing, monetizing, and building up site assets. This proves they not only have experience but also the types of skills that can only be built from hands-on work and success.

This is evidence you want whether hiring an individual or from a service like WebOperators.com.

Who Should Hire an Operator?

Hiring an operator isn’t something that a beginner who is only 20 posts into building a new site should be looking at. Most people ready to hire a website operator fall into one of two categories: investor-operators and hands-off investors.

Investor-Operators

An investor-operator is someone who acquires a website, self-operates it to build it up, and then finds themselves in need of a website operator before moving on to another project. The advantage of an investor-operator is that they understand the site, the niche, and the challenges of niche sites because they have worked to grow the site themselves and are now ready to hand it off.

An investor-operator could be someone who builds up sites one at a time themselves before handing them off to free up time for a new project, or website flippers who buy existing sites, ramp up traffic and earnings, and then hand them off.

Hands-Off Investors

These are investors who have the money to acquire profitable sites and sites that have potential for continued growth, but for whatever reason don’t have the skills, interest, or time to do it themselves.

Hands-off investors will hand the website off to an operator to maintain and grow the site so the investor doesn’t have to worry about it.

Having a website operator regardless is one of the best ways to prevent neglect-based traffic and income decay that happens to most sites that aren’t updated and worked on.

How to Know When to Outsource Website Operations

There are multiple signs that it might be time to hire a top-notch website operator to take over management of your sites. 

When you have lost interest in the site and are more excited about a new project

• When you’ve exhausted your knowledge/expertise and need new eyes or a new skill set to
• When you don’t have the time to continue growing or maintaining the site
• When the site is ready for maintenance mode
• When you simply want to move on to something else

Any single one of these is a good reason to start looking for a qualified operator to take over the day-to-day operations and let them continue with maintenance, upkeep content, and looking for further monetization options.

Red Flags to Watch Out For

Hiring a good website operator is a game changer when expanding your content business, but it’s important to keep an eye open for obvious red flags.

No Track Record

Let other people take risks on new operators. You want to hire a provider with a proven track record and that includes screenshot proof of earnings, sharing specific sites they’ve worked on, and more than one reference.

A successful track record of growth is crucial and if the operator can’t provide that, move on to another one.

No References within the Industry

The industry for SEO, content investing, website flipping is relatively small, all things considered. You want a website operator who has a reputation within the industry and can get experts vouching for them and their services.

No Case Studies

Case studies are expected in the industry. A good website operator needs to be able to show their work for how they spot new traffic, SEO, and monetization opportunities. A successful operator shouldn’t just have one case study, but multiple case studies.

Case studies help prove the operator’s skills and are great for pitching potential clients, not to mention the fact they are a standard for the industry. 

Pay Deals/Incentive Structures for Website Operators

There tend to be three different pay deal structures that most website operator contracts fall under. It’s important to know how these work to fully understand the terms that various operators are willing to agree to or likely to request.

Fixed Fee

This is one of the most common ones and the operator asks for a fixed fee that is paid upfront and a clear set of responsibilities are lined out. This can be a monthly or quarterly payment, and it is based on services agreed to be rendered, not the income of the site.

Fixed Fee + Equity

The fixed fee + equity agreement means the operator agrees to a smaller upfront fee in exchange for growth equity. This means they get a percentage of the additional profits above the current revenue baseline.

A current monthly average income is calculated. From that any revenue above the baseline is split between the site owner and the operator. Once the website is sold, any extra profit after the investor’s initial investment is paid off is split along the same revenue/equity share.

Equity Only

This is a partnership agreement with the operator where the equity is split on an agreed upon project. In this case there isn’t revenue share in a partnership or fixed fees, but a split when the business sells, assuming the operator stays long enough to fulfill their obligations to the project.

The Power of Incentive Bonuses

Offering incentives can be an outstanding way to encourage extra work. This works with any of the above pay structures and involves setting goals based on the data and then additional bonuses for hitting certain levels above those base numbers.

The Benefits from Hiring a Good Website Operator

While many first-time website investors hesitate to hand off their first site to a website operator, it’s a crucial step to grow a content business over the long-term.

When you hire an A+ operator to manage your content business they have the skills, experience, and fresh eyes on your site to:

• Maintain content flow to avoid age decay in the search engines
• Continue growing revenue
• Find new monetization opportunities
• Find new easy wins for SEO to continue site growth
• Allow you to take on brand new projects

These are incredible benefits and important for helping any content business to scale and grow. 

Conclusion

Following the steps in this article will help you know when you need to hire a website operator to scale and grow your content business and how to find an A+ operator who will not only maintain your site, but have the tools and abilities to continue to grow traffic and revenues while you focus your energy on a new project.

If you are looking for a done-for-you website operation service, check out WebOperators.com